


Space Friends

by Spirit_catcher



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-28 22:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit_catcher/pseuds/Spirit_catcher
Summary: Pre-K/S or K&S.Sorry for stealing the 'I'm your person' idea from Grey's Anatomy.Man, was that season good!Christina: "I'm pretty sure this constitutes as hugging."Meredith: "Shut up - I'm your person."





	Space Friends

"Spock."

"Captain." The Vulcan stood as Kirk entered.

"Actually, this is off the record, Spock, so don't worry about any of that. And I'd be more comfortable having this chat if you called me Jim. Seeing as it's – "

"– off the record", Spock finished for him. After several months he had learned to humour the human habit of repeating oneself to reinforce a point that had already been made and noted by the Vulcan. "Very well. What can I do for you, Captain?"

Kirk let the formality slide this time and looked around. So far, he had only been in here to play games of chess he had first tempted the reserved Vulcan into playing with him a few months ago. The thought lead him to what he considered a good point to start with.

"As captain, I want to do my best to ensure the wellbeing of my crew."

"I am perfectly well in all aspects of – "

"Lately, I get the impression you haven't been. I'm not alone: Uhura also shares my concern."

"I was not aware of this significantly improved rapport between Nyota and yourself." Kirk noted the subtle – and probably unintentional – narrowing of eyes. He waved the comment away in the best flippant manner he could still pull off after having to be the mature leader for so long.

"We actually get along surprisingly well now that I actually have something better besides bar fights and girl chasing to put my time and energy into." She actually had said this to him quietly over dinner one day in their first couple of weeks on the Enterprise. "I'm still not allowed to call her Nyota, though, so I wouldn't be worried about me being competition", he continued, remembering Spock's earlier look of displeasure at the mention of himself and the Communications Officer.

Spock raised an eyebrow in what was unmistakably a silent question. Kirk's choice to continue with the original line of conversation didn't give him a chance to let him be more specific.

"Starfleet has always been reluctant to interfere in the personal lives of personal, even those in command positions. I understand you and Uhura ended your relationship at a time before either of you signed aboard the Enterprise."

Even before he'd said this, Spock had visibly recoiled in his chair. When it appeared that wasn't far enough away, he moved to sit on his narrow bunk. 

"I do not wish – "

"I wouldn't pry unless I had reason to, Spock. I do a lot of things I'm not proud of, but that's something I don't do. And as my second in command, I need to know of this kind of thing. Like where the two of you are now, and what kind of support you can get from others if you can no longer turn to her for comfort like you did during the Narada incident."

"Support, Captain?" He chose to ignore the fact that Kirk somehow knew of the physical comfort Uhura had offered him in the aftermath of Vulcan's demise.

"Jim", he corrected this time, giving a small sigh. "And by support, I mean, do you have anyone you can talk to or sit with or get a gesture of comfort from when we're potentially out here with no one else for five years. People on here have left families, children, friends – and now they turn to the friends they've made here and others on board for support. Have you got anyone here like that for you? Somebody to be your person? What about Nyota?"

"Nyota and I have remained friends, but I for one was not comfortable with the high level of emotional input and commitment I believe she would have expected. We were also not emotionally or mentally compatible."

"You just didn't click." Kirk could relate to that; it was practically the summary of his love life. At Spock's confusion, he elucidated. "It just wasn't working out."

Looking mildly impressed at Kirk's ability to comprehend that, Spock nodded. Kirk grinned at the reaction of the other.

"Despite popular belief, I am capable of grasping concepts of relationships. I just don't seem to have found anyone with which I am able to put them into practise with…"

Kirk clapped his hands together once and looked away abruptly. Perhaps he was a private person after all, Spock decided, as Kirk turned his head back and allowed them to simply share what had now changed into a companionable silence. Or at least he was when it came to any talk on who he really was.

Kirk looked away again as he stood up. "Well, anyway, I'll be going. Sorry for making you uncomfortable or anything, but please just think about what I said. And I'm sure Uhura won't deny you another hug if you find that kind of touch with a human to actually be a comfort. She's a sucker for guys who won't admit they need a hug."

He really had been about to go, but was stopped by the creases on Spock's brow as the Vulcan looked long and hard at a place on his desk.

"Spock?" he asked, unsure. Spock did not respond for some time. When he did, he did not look up. 

"Humans share physical contact in the form of an embrace to express a number of things, yet though I have participated in one before now, I do not know when it is appropriate to do so."

Kirk grinned. "You want a hug from me?" He didn't know how he could tell, but with Spock he just could.

"The purpose of my asking was to determine in what circumstances it would be appropriate to share an embrace with an acquaintance, not necessarily yourself", he corrected. He continued before Kirk could register his disappointment outwards. 

"Am I to understand that as an acquaintance of 19 months and what you have previously described as a 'good friend', it would not be inappropriate for me to request a hug from you?"

Kirk practically bounced, beaming, onto Spock's bed to engulf him in what ended up being a rather tentative hug. Disturbed, ruffled and overloaded with foreign emotions, Spock could no more account for the illogical heat he felt from the physically cooler human than he could for liking such a mentally intrusive activity.

"So it's okay if I get to be your person?" Kirk asked from over Spock's shoulder.

For some reason, Spock didn't feel the need to point out that Kirk had been for quite some time now.

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-K/S or K&S.  
> Sorry for stealing the 'I'm your person' idea from Grey's Anatomy.  
> Man, was that season good!
> 
> Christina: "I'm pretty sure this constitutes as hugging."  
> Meredith: "Shut up - I'm your person."


End file.
